Dragon's First Taco

by Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)

Let the New York Times bestselling team behind Dragons Love Tacos introduce the joy of dragons to the youngest of readers in this original board book shaped like a taco!

What do you get when you take a tortilla, fold it in half, and fill it with all sorts of delicious things? A taco, of course!

This little dragon's first taco will surely not be their last in this lively, funny board book that introduces the magic of tacos and dragons.

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Childrens, Food, Fantasy

16 pages, Board Book

Published September 26, 2023

About the author

Adam Rubin is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of ten critically-acclaimed picture books, including the Those Darn Squirrels trilogy, Dragons Love Tacos, Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, Secret Pizza Party, Robo-Sauce and El Chupacabras (winner of the 2020 Texas Blue Bonnet award). In between writing projects, he designs and collects optical illusions, puzzles and games. His favorite color is blue, his favorite food is fried chicken, and his favorite animal is the otter. Adam currently lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[anna b · Rating 5 out of 5]

shaped like a taco, absolute perfection

[Raven Andrus]

I forgot I finished this, I swear it didn't take me three days to read a board book about tacos. 10/10 recommend though.

[Alex Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more perfect book has not been written.

[sarah iarusso · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made me want a taco

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about dragons and tacos! Makes me want some, actually..

[veda!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in the middle of target. phenomenal work here. would rate a 6/5 if i could.

[Daniel U. · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s shaped like a taco. what more could you ask for

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just meh

[Rithana Srikanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thought-provoking and insightful reads I’ve encountered in a long time. Gave me a new perspective on my place in this world as a human being and my relationship to time and space. 5 stars!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Points for creativity of book design but the actual page explaining the ingredients is a bit too dense (if I were age appropriate) and could use more colours & separation

[Lisa Yee Swope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most expressive dragon ever. Inquisitive, enthusiastic, then completely stuffed (because the taco it consumes it twice as big as it is)... a perfect toddler of a dragon. I don't remember my first taco, but I have a video of a middle school youth group-er eating his first ever hot light Krispy Kreme donut, and it is that same level of wonder and astonishment at the new discovery. I expect a lot of toddlers will try to consumer this taco-shaped board book.

[Kristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q44.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Hey, little dragon. Do you know what this is? It's called a taco. You are going to love it. Let's make one together.

Premise/plot: A novelty prequel to Dragons Love Tacos. It is a novelty board book because it is taco-shaped (which makes it SO fun to hold and read). In this one, Dragon learns what makes a taco, a taco. It ends with a fundamental truth: One taco is never enough.

My thoughts: I remember reading earlier Dragon picture books years ago yet not recently enough to say I am a fan. I am a BIG, BIG, BIG fan of tacos. I like the taco-shape. It's fun. It's silly. Would I recommend checking it out from the library? Yes. Would I necessarily recommend everyone rush out to buy it? Probably not. Unless your little one REALLY loves the Dragon books OR is a really big fan of tacos. I can imagine that little ones probably would like holding this one, perhaps chewing on it.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 2 out of 5]

A baby board-book version of a favorite Dragons Love Tacos, this little tale offers a prequel view with a very simple introduction to tacos. Baby Dragon gets introduced to the makings and toppings of a taco, and glories in the delicious flavor. And that's it. Cute, short, sweet, and simple.

Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).

To be fair, my kids thought it was much more wonderful than I did. I think there was a swing and miss at a cute ending and an opportunity lost to make it a smidge more interesting than "this is a taco."

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher for my honest opinion.

Rejoice, Taco Lovers! Here is a board book to make sure your kids also love tacos! It’s shaped like a taco, tells you how to make tacos, has some introductory Spanish words in it, and has baby dragons! What is not to love? A really fun book for the littles and any one older who loves tacos.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed this to read to my 18 month old as I read good things about it online. Super cute. I imagine it would make a fun at home storytime followed by some taco making. I quite enjoyed the shape of the book too. My daughter really likes the page with the ingredients and pointed to a couple of different ones for me to name. Would be an excellent book for a taco enthusiast.

[Andi Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't ever review the books on my 3 years old shelf, but I had to make an acception for this one. This is my daughter's new favorite book! The illustration is beyond adorable, AND it has created a whole new activity for our family. Now, every taco Tuesday, we bring out the book and all make our own tacos at the dinner table.

[Kaylee Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple book that would be best for early elementary students. The lesson in this story is that the small, little details matter and we should pay close attention tot them. This book is a creative fantasy book that can teach students to try new things because they might end up liking them. It can also teach them to be open to trying new foods, even if they do not end of liking it.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute book about a young dragon trying and making their first taco. The pages are colored each one different for a different topping. A great, fun book for little ones to learn about tacos and how to read.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

HONESTLY... the physical book is what makes it a 5! It is literally shaped like a taco! And not only were the kiddos and I a big fan of the pretty colorful illustrations, it was a very fun book to read multiple times! A classic among babies... highly recommend.

[Rachel Matsuoka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations! A taco-shaped board book that will introduce babies and toddlers to the joy of tacos. Probably best enjoyed at the age where they can actually have solid foods so they have some concept of what you're reading to them about.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love dragons and you love tacos, then this book, which is a Prequel to Dragons Love Tacos, is for you! It's an adorable board book for littles and it's shaped like a taco with toppings!!! What's not to love?!

Satisfies 52 Book Challenge 2025 Prompt: #11. A Prequel

[Spencer Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series already, but I love it when they make board books cute and/or themed and this is perfect in every way.

[Renee Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book is shaped like a taco. I don't like that I needed my readers on to read this book. Either I'm getting too old or the font needed to be larger.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[Jackie Zimmermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and silly. Definitely needs to be read to littles by an adult or older kid, as the words are higher level than a typical board book.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute food themed board book. Good for fans of Adam Rubin's Dragon books.

[Marie Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

TACOS!!!

Who can go wrong with a taco?!?! This was a super cute book to introduce my grandkiddos to my love of tacos.